Houston remained atop the weekly American Athletic Conference power rankings, voted on by media members in every conference market. Here's how the panel sees the conference this week.

1. Houston (6-1, 3-1 AAC): The Cougars needed a series of defensive stands in the final 81 seconds — including a stop at the goal line on the final play — to escape with a 38-31 win over Tulsa. It was nearly another tough break for the Cougars, who in the last few weeks have seen their hopes of a spot in the College Football Playoff all but vanish with a loss at Navy, and Monday's news that the Big 12 will not expand. Now the attention will turn to whether the No. 11 Cougars can win out — they play at SMU on Saturday and the Nov. 17 game against Louisville looms large — and get some help in the AAC West. There's also a matter regarding the future of coach Tom Herman, who is expected to be courted by Power Five schools in the offseason. (Last week: 1) — Joseph Duarte, The Houston Chronicle

2. USF (6-1, 3-0 AAC): The Bulls shook off another stagnant start and pulled away late in a 42-27 victory over UConn to wrap up up bowl eligibility and tie the best start in program history. Though he struggled at times through the air, QB Quinton Flowers was electric on the ground. The junior had 157 yards and three TDs with his feet, including a video-game-like scramble where he juked multiple defenders for a 54-yard score in the first quarter. USF's defense played well, harassing UConn's Bryant Shirreffs for a season-best five sacks — including three from junior middle linebacker Auggie Sanchez — and nine tackles for loss. The Bulls travel to Temple on Friday night at 7. (Last week: 2) — Jeff Odom, Tampa Bay Times

3. Navy (4-1, 3-0 AAC): The Midshipmen received an unexpected bye when their Thursday game against East Carolina was postponed due to flooding caused by Hurricane Mathew. It was a welcome off week as the Mids were banged up and got an opportunity to heal. Navy hosts Memphis on Saturday in a crucial West Division showdown. The winner will be in the driver's seat to represent the West in the AAC championship game. (Last week: 3) — Bill Wagner, Baltimore Sun Media Group

4. Memphis (5-1, 2-0 AAC): The Tigers got off to another slow start on offense but rallied again in the second half to beat Tulane 24-14 and pick up their first conference road win. Running back Darrell Henderson scored on a 46-yard pass and a 45-yard run en route to 156 all-purpose yards. Memphis was also buoyed by takeaways, as it has been all year. The team recovered two fumbles on special teams and Jonathan Cook intercepted a pass, giving the Tigers an FBS-best 18 forced turnovers on the season. (Last week: 4) — Tom Schad, The Commercial Appeal

5. Temple (4-3, 2-1 AAC): Temple staged an improbable comeback in Saturday's 26-25 win against UCF in Orlando. The Owls trailed 25-7 early in the second quarter. Trailing 25-20, Temple began its final drive on its 30-yard line with 32 seconds left and no timeouts. Phillip Walker hit Ventell Bryant for three straight completions to the UCF 8. From there, Walker found Keith Kirkwood for an 8-yard scoring pass with one second remaining. Walker had only passed for 97 yards before throwing for all 70 in the game-winning drive. Temple hosts South Florida in a key East Division matchup Friday at 7 p.m on ESPN. Last season Temple went into USF with an 8-1 record and No. 22 national ranking and left with a 44-23 loss. (Last week: 5) — Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer

6. Tulsa (4-2, 1-1 AAC): A prime opportunity at Houston slipped away despite an impressive 14-point comeback in the fourth quarter. Tulsa was driving with a chance to take the lead in the final two minutes when QB Dane Evans fumbled while attempting to throw the ball away and the Cougars scooped and scored. Evans bounced back to propel Tulsa to the 1-yard line, but the 20-point underdogs couldn't get any closer. As part of a controversial ending, Houston appeared to have too many players on the field for the penultimate play including several in the neutral zone or offsides, although no penalty was called. A last-chance play featured defensive end Jesse Brubaker catching a short pass from Evans and being stopped short of the goal line. Tulsa is at home to a resurgent Tulane team Saturday afternoon. (Last week: 7) — Kelly Hines, Tulsa World

7. UCF (3-3, 1-1 AAC): After leading for 59 minutes, UCF surrendered a loss to Temple on the final drive. UCF's defense got winded late in the game after the offense failed to get anything going for two and a half quarters after a 25-7 lead. The Knights were led by freshman QB McKenzie Milton (13 of 22, 210 yards, two TD passes and one interception). He was sacked seven times. UCF will play at UConn on Saturday. (Last week: 6) — Shannon Green, Orlando Sentinel

8. UConn (3-4, 1-3 AAC): With two forced turnovers and two TDs in a span of 2:22 early in the third quarter, the Huskies took a 17-14 lead at South Florida. The Bulls dominated most of the rest of the game, though, and went on to a 42-27 victory. The Huskies lost their best offensive lineman, left guard Tommy Hopkins, to a season-ending leg injury during their second possession and did little offensively outside of the possessions that followed the takeaways. Arkeel Newsome did have a 70-yard touchdown reception and a four-yard touchdown run, his best game of the season (72 rushing yards, 90 receiving yards). UConn, which faces UCF on Saturday at home, forced four turnovers at South Florida. The Huskies had forced just three in their first six games. UConn is 26th nationally in rushing defense but just 115th in rushing offense. (Last week: 8) — Mike Anthony, The Hartford Courant

9. Cincinnati (3-3, 0-3 AAC): The Bearcats had a bye after dropping their previous two games to USF and UConn. UC plays Saturday at home against East Carolina. UC coach Tommy Tuberville said the priorities during the bye week were working on the running game and also run defense. UC ranks just 116th nationally in rushing at 124.8 yards per game. The UC rushing defense ranks in the middle of the pack at No. 64 nationally (156.5 ypg). QB Hayden Moore is expected to start against ECU. Moore missed two games with an ankle injury, then returned against UConn on Oct. 8. (Last week: 9) — Tom Groeschen, Cincinnati Enquirer

10. East Carolina (2-4, 0-2 AAC): It is do-or-die time for the Pirates, who are coming off an impromptu bye week caused by Hurricane Matthew and headed to Cincinnati in hopes of avoiding the team's first five-game losing skid since the 2003 team finished 1-10. The Pirates hope to have a healthy Philip Nelson at quarterback after the senior has been knocked out of two straight games with injuries. The ECU defense, meanwhile, still has just one sack and is 12th in the American in run defense. (Last week: 10) — Nathan Summers, The Daily Reflector

11. Tulane (3-3, 0-2 AAC): The Green Wave suffered a frustrating 24-14 loss to Memphis after a mistake-filled night on special teams and an anemic performance on the offensive end. Tulane will have to get over last week's loss quickly because it goes on the road to face a Tulsa team that almost beat Houston last week, losing 38-31 and falling one yard short of potentially sending the game to OT. (Last week: 11) — Will Guillory, The Times-Picayune

12. SMU (2-4, 0-2 AAC): The Mustangs are coming off a bye week and will face their toughest conference opponent so far in Houston. The good news for SMU is it is a home game at night, so the Mustangs will try to feed off the momentum early on. SMU used the bye week to get healthy and polish up on fundamentals. (Last week: 12) — EJ Holland, Dallas Morning News

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Coach Kevin Ollie discusses the challenges for the Huskies' season.

Coach Kevin Ollie discusses the challenges for the Huskies' season.

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The Big 12 has said no to expansion on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, ending UConn's latest bid for a spot in a Power Five conference.

The Big 12 has said no to expansion on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, ending UConn's latest bid for a spot in a Power Five conference.